PTI's Agitation Politics: A Threat To Democracy, Economic Development
Umer Jamshaid Published November 19, 2024 | 06:00 PM
PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Nov, 2024) Pakistan, a country born from a monumental democratic struggle on August 14, 1947, has weathered countless political storms in its 77 years of existence.
From democratic governments to dictatorships in Pakistan, the nation's journey has been marked by political instability mainly due to wrangling between political forces for power.
One persistent challenge has been the derailment of democracy through politics of agitation, long marches, and allegations of corruption against the political governments in the past, resultantly the country’s economy was badly suffered.
These irrational events, often spearheaded by the opposition parties or political leaders, have not only disrupted the democratic process but have also hindered the country’s political and economic development besides increased mass problems.
Professor Dr. A.H. Hilali, former Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Peshawar, pointed out that agitation politics—characterized by long marches, sit-ins, and street protests—poses a significant threat to democratic governance in the country.
"Democracy derives its strength from the people's vote, not from agitation rallies on streets or blocking of roads," Dr. Hilali said, emphasizing the developed nations achieved economic heights by ensuring political stability and continuity in policies, rather than by pursuing disruptive movements or revolutions to achieve power through back channels.
Professor Dr Hilali said that Pakistan’s political history has unfortunately reflected a pattern of instability, often triggered by dissatisfaction with election outcomes, resultantly democracy have been derailed four times in the past.
Despite the abundance of natural resources, significant geographic location and a large population, he said opposition leaders have yet to realize the full economic potential of their country.
He attributed this to the frequent interruptions in democratic process, where elected governments were overthrown on charges of corruption besides due to a lack of political tolerance and respect for electoral mandates.
He said the absence of a strong constitutional framework in the early years after independence and the untimely deaths of founder leaders—such as Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1948 and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951 had further hampered the country’s democratic evolution.
He said the political landscape became a battleground of competing parties when opposition groups accused the ruling elite of rigging elections, sparking unrest and instability in Pakistan.
“One of the most significant examples of agitation politics in Pakistan's history was the 1977 general elections, which led to the overthrow of the elected Govt of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,†he said.
The opposition alliance i.e Pakistan National Alliance (PNA), launched a nationwide agitation claiming electoral fraud after ZA Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party won a landslide victory in the 1977 general election.
Despite Bhutto's frequent denial of any rigging, the PNA's protests escalated into widespread unrest, leading to overthrowing of an elected Bhutto Govt on July 5, 1977, marking the beginning of the third dictatorship in the country.
He said the cycle of political intolerance continued into the 1980s and 1990s after successive governments of PPP and PMLN were removed on allegations of corruption and electoral manipulations.
Dr Hilali said as a result of political chaos, the Govt of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Government was dismissed and democracy was derailed for the fourth time on October 12, 1999.
In 2014, he said a new chapter of political unrest unfolded when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, supported by Dr. Tahirul Qadri of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), launched an aimless sit-in against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government at Islamabad, accusing the PMLN leadership of rigging the 2013 general elections.
The PTI/PAT allegations, however, were rejected by an independent high powered commission of SC led by former Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, which found that the elections had been conducted fairly.
Despite the Commission ruling, he said the protests continued for months, further deepening political divisions in the country where no elected Prime Minister has completed its five year constitutional term.
Ikhtair Wali Khan, PMLN KP Information Secretary said that PTI has not learnt lessons from history and has again given an agitation call for November 24 which was totally unjustified.
He accused the PTI leadership of engaging in “aimless agitation politics†that will only create political chaos besides added to the difficulty of the masses. “PTI agitation was meant to get relief for the PTI founder who was charged in various cases,†he said, adding only courts would decide cases of the PTI founder.
Wajid Ali Khan, former KP Minister said PTI Nov 26 agitation was a political gimmick. He said PTI was known for taking pressure on state institutions to get relief.
“Like PTI’s 2022 flopped long march, the PTI November 24 agitation call would also be rejected by masses of KP who kept their distance of the proposed aimless march.â€
He argued that PTI leadership’s rhetoric has increasingly targeted state institutions, and that their attempts to undermine democratic processes are damaging to the country’s political and economic stability would be bound to fail.
He said people of KP were largely associated with the transport and tourism sector and will economically suffer due to blockage of roads and motorways.
The PMLN leader said that PTI’s agitation was meant to divert people’s attention what he called from ‘poor governance’ in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where Billion Trees Project was taken over by the NAB and BRT was facing over three billion financial losses due to ill planning that turned Peshawar into a traffic mess.
The experts said our country’s history was a testament to the resilience of its people and the enduring hope for a democratic future, hoping that PTI leadership would show political maturity and will fight cases of their leader in courts rather than streets.
They said the challenge for Pakistan’s leaders, both in government and opposition, is to rise above personal interests and work toward a more tolerant, democratic, and politically stable environment.
They said that democracy was not a product of long marches, but a result of continuous, constructive engagement with people and accepting political mandates, adding only then can Pakistan begin to realize its true potential as a democratic and economically prosperous nation.
Ikhtair Wali Khan said that due to agitation politics, internal differences within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have emerged ahead of the planned protest on November 24.
He said Peshawar East's General Secretary of PTI, Taqdeer Ali, and Senior Vice President Malik Salim have reportedly resigned apparently  due to disagreements over distribution of positions in the party besides not taking PTI local leadership into confidence on the proposed Nov 24 agitation call.
